My must-see movies
by bobbyandpoppy | created - 16 Feb 2012 | updated - 20 Feb 2012 | PublicOver 50 of my all-time favourite movies - not always obvious or popular classics - taken from all genres and presented in no particular order!
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1. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
Director: Charles Laughton | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason
Votes: 97,229 | Gross: $0.65M
The impressionistic visuals are fantastic and Mitchum is superb! When I first saw this Iwanted to go out and make my own movie!
2. The Wicker Man (1973)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A puritan police sergeant arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl, who the pagan locals claim never existed.
Director: Robin Hardy | Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Britt Ekland
Votes: 92,119 | Gross: $0.06M
Alas only ever seen this on TV. Must have been great on the cinema. Fortunately the ending had not been spoiled for me.
3. The Seven-Ups (1973)
PG | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A tough detective who is part of an elite New York City unit is trying to find out who killed his partner, but uncovers a plot to kidnap mobsters for money.
Director: Philip D'Antoni | Stars: Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon
Votes: 6,640 | Gross: $2.32M
In my opinion an underrated film. Great car chase in what is for me a very good cop/crime thriller.
4. The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
G | 89 min | Family, Fantasy, Music
A young boy dreams that he is in an imaginary world where, assisted by his family's plumber, he must save other piano-playing kids like himself from the dungeons of his dictatorial piano teacher who also mind-controls his mother.
Director: Roy Rowland | Stars: Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig
Votes: 4,457
Totally glorious from start to finish! My kids sawthis when they were young and still love as adults! Quirky, humourous and offbeat - a great antidote to Rogers and Hammerstein!
5. The Vikings (1958)
Not Rated | 116 min | Action, Adventure, History
A slave and a Viking prince fight for the love of a captive princess.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh
Votes: 15,672 | Gross: $7.00M
I can just watch this again and again...worth it for the perfomance of Frank Thring alone!!!
6. The Railway Children (1970)
G | 109 min | Drama, Family
After the enforced absence of their father, three children move with their mother to Yorkshire, where during their adventures they attempt to discover the reason for his disappearance.
Director: Lionel Jeffries | Stars: Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, William Mervyn, Iain Cuthbertson
Votes: 5,695 | Gross: $0.32M
Lionel Jefferies first film as director and if he had only ever made this it would be a great legacy! I am a grown man and it just keeps making me cry - I can't help it...!
7. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
G | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Family
When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.
Director: Nathan Juran | Stars: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher
Votes: 14,742 | Gross: $6.98M
Ray Harryhausen! hero to any boy of the late 50's and early sixties. Valley of the Gwangi may be more technically accomplished in the effects department but this is still may favourite all-round Harryhausen film with Json and the Argonauts a close second. Torin Thatcher is another of myfavourite screen villains.
8. Strangers on a Train (1951)
PG | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll
Votes: 140,916 | Gross: $7.63M
For me, one of Hitchcosk's best! Great story, nice build up of tension and some dark humourous touches. The bursting of the little boy's balloon is inspired!
9. Road to Perdition (2002)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman
Votes: 284,321 | Gross: $104.45M
Sorry guys - not a Tom Hanks fan - but I love him in this! At last we have got away from Forrest Gump! Great visuals and story - nice to see Paul Newman up there on the big screen! And of course Daniel Craig and more....
10. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Passed | 110 min | Drama, Film-Noir
A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
Votes: 236,196
The movies didn't get small with this! Fabulous atmosphere and great acting from all involved in a razor sharp screenplay!
11. Sweet Charity (1969)
G | 149 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Taxi dancer Charity continues to have faith despite endless disappointments at its hands, and hope that she will finally meet the man to romance her away from her sleazy life. Maybe, just maybe, handsome Oscar will be the one to do it.
Director: Bob Fosse | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, John McMartin, Ricardo Montalban, Sammy Davis Jr.
Votes: 6,678 | Gross: $3.43M
1969 and I fell in love with Shirley MacLaine! Another antidote to Rogers and Hammerstein AND the glorious choreography of Bob Fosse. Sexy and funny!
12. The Train (1964)
Not Rated | 133 min | Action, Thriller, War
In 1944, a German colonel loads a train with French art treasures to send to Germany. The Resistance must stop it without damaging the cargo.
Directors: John Frankenheimer, Arthur Penn | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, Suzanne Flon
Votes: 18,825 | Gross: $7.41M
Intelligent and gritty war film from Burt Lancaster. Looks great in Black and White - you can feel the oil, soot, coal dust and steam from those locomotives.
13. Curse of the Demon (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
American professor John Holden arrives in London for a parapsychology conference, only to find himself investigating the mysterious actions of Devil-worshipper Julian Karswell.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham
Votes: 15,492
Just great entertainment from the late 1950's. Niall McGinnis almost steals the film as satanist Carswell but the film is full of great roles and cameos. 'It's coming! It's in the trees!!'
14. What's Up, Doc? (1972)
G | 94 min | Comedy, Romance
The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars
Votes: 26,994 | Gross: $10.47M
Not a Barbra Streisand or Ryan O'Neal fan - but they are both great in this - only to be outshone by Madeline Kahn! A great Screwball comedy. O'Neal in wrecked hotel room to hotel manager: 'Sorry about the room' Hotel manager: 'That's alright sir - we've got lots of others'
15. Our Man Flint (1966)
Approved | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
When scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.
Director: Daniel Mann | Stars: James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan, Edward Mulhare
Votes: 7,079 | Gross: $16.00M
O.K. A bit dated now but still huge fun! Looks a bit like an old T.V. movie - but James Coburn and Lee J Cobb are superb! And I still LOVE Jerry Goldsmiths music!!
16. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
R | 229 min | Crime, Drama
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams
Votes: 377,295 | Gross: $5.32M
What a glorious film!!! I stumbled on this on T.V. and was instantly hooked. Great narrative structure, great story and great performances. Definitely my favourite Sergio Leone film.
17. Oliver! (1968)
G | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
After being sold to a mortician, young orphan Oliver Twist runs away and meets a group of boys trained to be pickpockets by an elderly mentor in 1830s London.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed
Votes: 41,370 | Gross: $16.80M
A fabulous musical from Carol Reed. Lionel Bart's music is brilliant and Oliver Reed gives a superb performance as Bill Sykes. I was dragged by my parents to the cinema to see this - how wise they were!
18. Cape Fear (1962)
Passed | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin
Votes: 31,850
Forget De Niro's and Scorsese's version - this is without parallel! Bob Mitchum is superb as Max Cady - powerful, cunning, animalistic and brutal. Some great set pieces and a nicely paced build up of tension. Put on the headphones, sit in a dark room and enjoy!
19. Chinatown (1974)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Votes: 349,480
Glorious-looking film noir homage by Roman Polanski written by Robert Towne. It looks gorgeous, has a nice line a black humour and a great plot and performances. Nicholson, Dunaway and Huston with a fantastic cameo by Polanski himself. What more could you want?
20. Casino (1995)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods
Votes: 563,229 | Gross: $42.44M
Scorsese and De Niro on form! Despite what I said about Scorsese and Cape Fear, I do love his films. This is brilliant. Great performances, especially by Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci. Great narrative structure and plot - slightly long - but worth every minute!
21. The Deadly Affair (1967)
Not Rated | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: James Mason, Maximilian Schell, Simone Signoret, Harriet Andersson
Votes: 4,180
Great cold war thriller by John Le Carre and Sydney Lumet. If you like The spy who came in from the cold, or Tinker tailor soldier spy - then this might be for you. The first X rated film I ever saw and I still love this film. James Mason, the great Harry Andrews, Simone Signoret and a simply sublime performance from Roy Kinnear - a brilliant downbeat thriller.
22. Charade (1963)
Passed | 113 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
Romance and suspense ensue in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Whom can she trust?
Director: Stanley Donen | Stars: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
Votes: 85,474 | Gross: $13.47M
Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant - 60's chic or what!!?? Great comedy/action/thriller - with James Coburn to boot! Don't try and work it out - get on the sofa with your dressing gown and favourite snack and just enjoy!
23. The Disorderly Orderly (1964)
Approved | 90 min | Comedy, Romance
Medical student Jerome Littlefield works as an orderly at a private clinic where he creates havoc due to his ineptitude.
Director: Frank Tashlin | Stars: Jerry Lewis, Glenda Farrell, Susan Oliver, Everett Sloane
Votes: 3,353
You either love him or hate him - but for me, Jerry Lewis is the Airplane! school of humour before Airplane! Once you get past the overly sentimental bits - there are some great gags here including the teeth cleaning and the fully bandaged man - if you have seen it - you know what I mean! Still makes me laugh out loud!
24. Dead of Night (1945)
Approved | 77 min | Drama, Horror
Guests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.
Directors: Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer | Stars: Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Roland Culver, Mary Merrall
Votes: 14,198
Ealing are justly famous for their comedies - but even their comedies had moments of the grotesque and the unsettling. Here are a set of supernatural or uncomfortable stories some of which still unsettle. Dated now alas, but a few of the stories still give you goosebumps. After watching Michael Redgrave as the ventriloquist those dummies won't seem quite so funny ever again.
25. Emperor of the North (1973)
PG | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In 1933, during the Depression, Shack the brutal conductor of the number 19 train has a personal vendetta against the best train hopping hobo tramp in the Northwest, A No. 1.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, Charles Tyner
Votes: 7,067 | Gross: $0.09M
Just known as Emperor of the north in Britain. Borgnine is superb as the sadistic train guard on the No.9. Lee Marvin is the hobo determined to ride free all the way to Portland. Carradine has a lot to learn on the way. Robert Altman makes use of great closeups and Borgnine in particular looks great. Absolutely fabulous on the big screen - still good on T.V. if you can get past the worst film opening credits theme music you will ever hear. Sorry Marty Robbins!
26. Forbidden Planet (1956)
G | 98 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet's colony, only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox | Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens
Votes: 53,130 | Gross: $3.00M
Once again, somewhat dated now - but MGM's production values shine through in what is probably the best sci-fi movie of the 50's. Great story and for the time, great special effects. Great to see Leslie Nielsen in a serious role pre Airplane! and Police Squad! Walter Pigeon is perfectly cast as Morbius. Again, priveliged enough to see this on the cinema in the 50's, so a bit of a nostalgia trip for me. 'Morbius! Something approaches....'
27. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
PG | 95 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
In a small American town, a diabolical circus and its demonic proprietor prey on the townsfolk.
Director: Jack Clayton | Stars: Mary Grace Canfield, Richard Davalos, Jake Dengel, Jack Dodson
Votes: 10,600 | Gross: $8.40M
Disney wanted to get away from its sugar-sweet image so amongst other things, they made this. With a screenplay by Ray Bradbury from his own novel - this is a journey into darkness. Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce are superb in a film about regret, guilt, unfulfilled hopes and ambitions, jealousy and the price of wishes fulfilled.
28. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,255,733 | Gross: $46.84M
See? I said I liked Scorsese and De Niro! Another great film in this genre. 'Nuff said!
29. The Grifters (1990)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe
Votes: 30,519 | Gross: $13.45M
Well well! Scorsese again! As producer this time. Stephen Frears directs this dark story by classic american crime writer Jim Thompson. With a screenplay by another classic american crime writer Donald Westlake, Anjelica Huston is mesmerising in this cold hearted story about con artists.
30. Psycho (1960)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin
Votes: 717,533 | Gross: $32.00M
The black and white imagery and the pace of this film are great, with some beautifully constructed set pieces. Again, fortunate enough to see this on the big screen to get the full impact. One of my favourite moments - after the famous shower scene we cut to a shop with a lady agonising over which insecticide to buy - but insisting 'Man or insect - it MUST be painless!'
31. The Professionals (1966)
PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode
Votes: 18,802 | Gross: $19.54M
A fantastic cast - Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Jack Palance and Ralph Bellamy - just go along for the ride! Always goodto see Robert Ryan and Jack Palance! I thought that Palance acted Nicholson off the screen in Batman.
32. The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
Approved | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In the West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate.
Director: Michael Anderson | Stars: George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger
Votes: 4,347
George Segal, Alec Guiness and a great role for Max von Sydow. Another downbeat cold war spy thriller, often oozing atmosphere, with a great performance by Segal too!
33. North by Northwest (1959)
Approved | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis
Votes: 345,775 | Gross: $13.28M
Another great Hitchcock film! A bit dated at times, but the style and humour manages to still overcome the dated technology. As usual, some great set pieces such as the crop dusting plane. Best line: James Mason - 'That's not fair - using real bullets!'
34. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
Approved | 210 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A group of motorists witnesses a car crash in the California desert, and after the driver's dying words indicate the location of a hidden stash of loot, they turn against each in a race across the state to get to it.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney
Votes: 46,042 | Gross: $46.30M
Full of cameo roles from many american comedians and comediennes, I still love this film. Worth watching for Jonathan Winters and Phil Silvers alone! The best sight gag with Ethel Merman is left until the end - but there are plenty of funny moments along the way.
35. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.
Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 299,151 | Gross: $57.39M
The first thirty minutes of this film are pure cinema - it could not be done in any other medium. Nicole Kidman is gorgeous, Jim Broadbent is superb and for sheer exhuberent style - that first half hour is pretty well unbeatable. Sags a bit in the middle but another great antidote to Rogers and Hammerstien.
36. Moby Dick (1956)
Not Rated | 116 min | Adventure, Drama
The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, James Robertson Justice
Votes: 21,846 | Gross: $10.40M
Director John Huston almost always told a good story. With a screenplay by Ray Bradbury, Ahab's (Gregory Peck) obsessive quest for the white whale is captured with style. Dated special effects now, but the cast and style of the film more than make up for this. Featuring the saplendid Harry Andrews and smooth voiced Leo Genn. Still unsurpassed for me. 'That ain't no whale - it's a white man's god!'
37. The Medusa Touch (1978)
PG | 109 min | Drama, Mystery
A telekinetic novelist causes disasters simply by thinking about them.
Director: Jack Gold | Stars: Richard Burton, Lee Remick, Lino Ventura, Harry Andrews
Votes: 7,484
'I am the man who causes catastrophe!' intones a grave Richard Burton. A great cast (Lee Remick, Harry Andrews, Jeremy Brett, Derek Jacobi, Alan Badel) add weight and gravitas to what is sheer hokum. But it is done with such style and bravado by the actors and director Jack Gold, that the film works splendidly.
38. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Passed | 81 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A one-armed stranger comes to a tiny town possessing a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger
Votes: 24,218
One armed man Spencer Tracy gets off a train in a town where the train has never stopped before - and gets under the skins of Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Great roles for all these actors in a story stylishly told.
39. Brazil (1985)
R | 132 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A bureaucrat in a dystopic society becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond
Votes: 211,090 | Gross: $9.93M
I think Gilliam's best film - just getting the edge over the Time Bandits. Jonathan Pryce, Bob Hoskins and Robert de Niro in a 1984-like nightmare of mistaken identity in a totalitarian state. Lots of black humour and very stylish visuals.
40. Blazing Saddles (1974)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Western
In order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman
Votes: 152,319 | Gross: $119.50M
Mel Brook's films were always uneven - but the good moments are absolutely superb. The great Madeline Kahn gives another great comedic performance as does Harvey Korman.
41. The Blues Brothers (1980)
R | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Jake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
Director: John Landis | Stars: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, John Candy
Votes: 214,266 | Gross: $57.23M
This is just one hell of a feel-good movie! The music is top notch - (love Cab Calloway) - and, for my money - it has one of the best screen comediennes - Kathleen Freeman - as the Penguin aka Sister Mary Stigmata. Freeman was a perfect foil for Jerry Lewis in 'the nutty professor' and the 'disorderly orderly'. The scene early on where she is slapping the Blues Brothers on their heads with a ruler still makes me cry with laughter.
42. The Black Cat (1934)
Not Rated | 65 min | Crime, Horror, Romance
American honeymooners in Hungary become trapped in the home of a Satan-worshipping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer | Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Julie Bishop
Votes: 12,970 | Gross: $0.51M
In the early 1930's, European immigrants brought a darkness to the Universal horror films. This film, featuring both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi is no exception. At only 63 minutes - I suspect that about thirty minutes have been cut out - but if you can overcome the datedness of this film, and get drawn into the dialogue - this goes to some quite dark places. Stylish for its time, I would love to see the uncut version.
43. The Third Man (1949)
Approved | 93 min | Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.
Director: Carol Reed | Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard
Votes: 181,699 | Gross: $0.45M
One of the best, if not THE best British Film ever made. Oozing style and decadent atmosphere with a great performance by Orson Welles this immediate post-second world war thriller is well worth catching.
44. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
R | 83 min | Comedy
The daily programming of a fictional local TV channel presented as a series of highly irreverent skits.
Director: John Landis | Stars: Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Bill Bixby, George Lazenby
Votes: 20,235
A gloriously un-pc comedy made by the Airplane!/Naked gun team just before Airplane! A bit uneven but the good bits are worth waiting for. The 'getting rid of unwanted smells around the home' sketch is superb!
45. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
PG | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
After New York City receives a series of attacks from giant flying robots, a reporter teams up with a pilot in search of their origin, as well as the reason for the disappearances of famous scientists around the world.
Director: Kerry Conran | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi
Votes: 87,421 | Gross: $37.76M
I just loved this film! The first half hour especially has great style - but I just love the whole thing! I know that not everyone shares my taste on this one - but I really enjoyed it.
46. King of the Rocket Men (1949)
Passed | 167 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Jeff King in his experimental rocket suit battles the evil Dr. Vulcan.
Director: Fred C. Brannon | Stars: Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke, Don Haggerty, House Peters Jr.
Votes: 965
I was priveliged enough to see this on the big screen when I was about ten years old. If you only ever watch one old movie matinee serial (apart from Flash Gordon) then this is the one. Love the music, a good fist fight in every episode and that great climax that inspired 'The day after tomorrow'.
47. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
G | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Family
The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
Director: Don Chaffey | Stars: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 31,001 | Gross: $4.58M
A great Ray Harryhausen / Charles Schneer film! In the early sixties, for a young boy - this was as good as fantasy film gets.
48. The Krays (1990)
R | 115 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
This fact-based movie follows the life of the twin crime-lords in London's '60s underworld.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Billie Whitelaw, Tom Bell
Votes: 9,038 | Gross: $2.06M
A great film - actually better if you watch it in black and white!!! - featuring the Kemp brothers as the Krays and Tom Bell - always good to watch. Billie Whitelaw gives the darkest monologue I have ever heard on film (when she returns from a funeral). Just pure class.
49. King Kong (1933)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Horror
A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Votes: 90,881 | Gross: $10.00M
Still a great film after all these years and not quite beaten by Peter Jackson's remake. Obviously dated in terms of effects - it is still superior in terms of style.
50. The Killers (1964)
Passed | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Surprised that their contract victim didn't try to run away from them, two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why.
Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Cassavetes, Clu Gulager
Votes: 9,314
An Ice cold crime thriller. Intended as the first made for TV movie, it was too violent and got cinema release instead. Some dated techniques (back projection) but a good story and cast - Lee Marvin, Clu Gulager, John Cassavetes, Angie Dickinson and....great to see Ronald Reagan in his only bad-guy role. The digitally restored DVD looks pristine!
51. Ice Station Zebra (1968)
G | 148 min | Adventure, Thriller
USN nuclear sub USS Tigerfish must rush to the North Pole to rescue the staff of Drift Ice Station Zebra weather station.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown
Votes: 11,848
The 70mm huge screen was merciless on the polystyrene snow and ice, but, if you can get past that, this is a great cold war spy thriller. Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine and others make up for the studio ice.
52. Hell Is a City (1960)
93 min | Crime, Thriller
In Britain, a Manchester police inspector becomes obsessed with capturing a criminal who escapes from prison.
Director: Val Guest | Stars: Stanley Baker, John Crawford, Donald Pleasence, Maxine Audley
Votes: 1,380
One of those great British crime dramas of the 50's/60's. Stanley Baker was always great in this kind of role. There's a lot of crime up north....
53. Hell Drivers (1957)
Approved | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A rookie trucker tries to expose his boss' rackets.
Director: Cy Endfield | Stars: Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins, Patrick McGoohan
Votes: 4,047
OK - get over the under-cranked camera on the lorries as they speed down the country roads - this is a great film. And what a cast!!! William (doctor who) Hartnell, Stanley Baker, Sean (007)Connery, Sid (carry on) James, Herbert (pink panther) Lom, Peggy (night of the demon, Gun crazy) Cummins, Patrick (Danger Man, Prisoner) McGoohan. Cy (Zulu) Enfield directs
54. The Godfather Part II (1974)
R | 202 min | Crime, Drama
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton
Votes: 1,362,547 | Gross: $57.30M
The first two Godfather films are brilliant, but part two just has the edge. Great film! 'Nuff said!
55. Prime Cut (1972)
R | 88 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A vicious Kansas City slaughterhouse owner and his hick family are having a bloody "beef" with the Chicago crime syndicate over profits from their joint illegal operations. Top enforcer Nick Devlin is sent to straighten things out.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Sissy Spacek, Angel Tompkins
Votes: 5,850 | Gross: $0.52M
Lee Marvin looks great in this parody of crime drama. And with Sissy Spacek and Gene Hackman this film has style and panache. In turns sexy, violent an funny with some great set pieces - this is an often overlooked film well worth catching
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